Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of salinity and flooding on the infectivity of salt marsh arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Aster tripolium L.

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biology and Fertility of Soils Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Salt marshes are characterized by the occurrence of combined salinity and flooding stresses. The individual and combined effects of salinity and flooding on the establishment and activity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization in the salt marsh halophyte Aster tripolium L. by indigenous salt marsh AM fungi were evaluated. A. tripolium plants were cultivated in a mixture of sand and salt marsh soil under different salinity concentrations (5%, 50% or 100% artificial seawater) and water regimes (non-flooding, tidal flooding and continuous flooding). Plants were harvested after 3 and 8 weeks and their growth was negatively influenced by increased salinity and water level. Increased salinity level affected the establishment of AM colonization, AM fungal growth and activity (measured as succinate dehydrogenase activity) within roots, and extraradical mycelium growth. The influence of flooding on the establishment of colonization and on intra- and extraradical AM fungal growth was dependent on the water regime. Continuous flooding reduced colonization and AM fungal growth, whereas tidal flooding did not affect these parameters unless combined with intermediate salinity level (50% seawater) at the end of the experiment. The water regime did not influence AM active colonization. The ratio of root to soil AM fungal growth increased as the water level increased. The results of this study demonstrate that the establishment and activity of AM colonization in A. tripolium is more influenced by salinity than by flooding, and suggests that the functionality of salt marsh AM fungi is not affected by flooding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam P (1990) Salt marsh ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

  • Adam P (2002) Saltmarshes in a time of change. Environ Conserv 29:39–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Karaki GN (2000) Growth of mycorrhizal tomato and mineral acquisition under salt stress. Mycorrhiza 10:51–54

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong W, Wright EJ, Lythe S, Gaynard TJ (1985) Plant zonation and the effects of the spring-neap tidal cycle on soil aeration in a humber salt marsh. J Ecol 73:323–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Caçador I (1994) Acumulação e retenção de metais pesados nos sapais do estuário do Tejo. PhD thesis. University of Lisbon, Portugal

  • Cantrell IC, Linderman RG (2001) Preinoculation of lettuce and onion with VA mycorrhizal fungi reduces deleterious effects of soil salinity. Plant Soil 233:269–281

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho LM, Caçador I, Martins-Loução MA (2001) Temporal and spatial variation of arbuscular mycorrhizas in salt marsh plants of the Tagus estuary (Portugal). Mycorrhiza 11:303–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho LM, Correia PM, Martins-Loução MA (2003) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal propagules in a salt marsh. Mycorrhiza (in press)

  • Copeman RH, Martin CA, Stutz JC (1996) Tomato growth in response to salinity and mycorrhizal fungi from saline or non-saline soils. HortScience 31:341–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein E (1972) Mineral nutrition of plants: principles and perspective. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Giovannetti M, Mosse B (1980) An evaluation of techniques for measuring vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal infection in roots. New Phytol 84:489–500

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoagland DR, Arnon DI (1939) The water culture method for growing plants without soil. Calif Agric Exp Stn Circ 347:1-32

    Google Scholar 

  • Juniper S, Abbott LK (1993) Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas and soil salinity. Mycorrhiza 4:45–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Justin SHFW, Armstrong W (1987) The anatomical characteristics of roots and plant response to soil flooding. New Phytol 106:465–495

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerstiens G, Tych W, Robinson MF, Mansfield TA (2002) Sodium-related partial stomatal closure and salt tolerance of Aster tripolium. New Phytol 153:509–515

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kough JL, Gianinazzi-Pearson V, Gianinazzi S (1987) Depressed metabolic activity of vesucular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi after fungicide application. New Phytol 106:707–715

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski TT, Pallardy SG (1984) Effect of flooding on water, carbohydrate and mineral relations. In: Kozlowski TT (ed) Flooding and plant growth. Academic Press, London, pp 165–193

  • McMillen BG, Juniper S, Abbott LK (1998) Inhibition of hyphal growth of a vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus in soil containing sodium chloride limits the spread of infection from spores. Soil Biol Biochem 30:1639–1646

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller RM, Reinhardt DR, Jastrow JD (1995) External hyphal production of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in pasture and tallgrass prairie communities. Oecologia 103:17–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller SP (1999) Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of semi-aquatic grasses along a wide hydrologic gradient. New Phytol 145:145–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller SP, Sharitz RR (2000) Manipulation of flooding and arbuscular mycorrhiza formation influences growth and nutrition of two semiaquatic grass species. Funct Ecol 14:738–748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munns R, Schachtman DP, Condon AG (1995) The significance of a two-phase growth response to salinity in wheat and barley. Aust J Plant Physiol 22:561–569

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muthukumar T, Udaiyan K, Karthikeyan A, Manian S (1997) Influence of native endomycorrhiza, soil flooding and nurse plant on mycorrhizal status and growth of purple nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus L.). Agric Ecosyst Environ 61:51–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pennings SC, Callaway RM (1992) Salt marsh plant zonation: the relative importance of competition and physical factors. Ecology 73:681–690

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips JM, Hayman DS (1970) Improved procedures for clearing and staining parasitic and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for rapid assessment of infection. Trans Br Mycol Soc 55:158–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Rozema J, van Diggelen J (1991) A comparative study of growth and photosynthesis of four halophytes in response to salinity. Acta Oecol 12:673–681

    Google Scholar 

  • Rozema J, Arp W, van Diggelen J, van Esbroek M, Broekman R, Punte H (1986) Occurrence and ecological significance of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza in the salt marsh environment. Acta Bot Neerl 35:457–467

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Lozano JM, Azcón R (2000) Symbiotic efficiency and infectivity of an autochthonous arbuscular mycorrhizal Glomus sp. from saline soils and Glomus deserticola under salinity. Mycorrhiza 10:137–143

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Lozano JM, Azcón R, Gómez M (1996) Alleviation of salt stress by arbuscular-mycorrhizal Glomus species in Lactuca sativa plants. Physiol Plant 98:767–772

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shennan C, Hunt R, Macrobbie EAC (1987) Salt tolerance in Aster tripolium L. I. The effect of salinity on growth. Plant Cell Environ 10:59–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Tennant D (1975) A test of a modified line intersect method of estimating root length. J Ecol 63:995–1001

    Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1984) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the EU research programmes Environment & Climate and ELOISE under contract no. ENV4-CT97–0582 (ISLED) and by a PRAXIS XXI fellowship grant BD no. 1273/95 to L. C.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ecologia e Biologia Vegetal, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal

    Luís M. Carvalho, Patrícia M. Correia & M. Amélia Martins-Loução

  2. Instituto de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal

    Isabel Caçador

Authors
  1. Luís M. Carvalho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patrícia M. Correia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Isabel Caçador
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Amélia Martins-Loução
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luís M. Carvalho.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Carvalho, L.M., Correia, P.M., Caçador, I. et al. Effects of salinity and flooding on the infectivity of salt marsh arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Aster tripolium L.. Biol Fertil Soils 38, 137–143 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-003-0621-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-003-0621-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation